System and method for providing a fixed grammar to allow a user to create a relational database without programming

Abstract

A system for generating a relational database based on a fixed set of statement types. Each statement type defines a permitted relationship between a subject noun type, a verb, and an object noun type. The statement types are the basis for user defined statements. Each user-defined statement links a subject noun with an object noun by way of a verb. In addition, each statement may contain one or more prepositional phrases, consisting of a preposition type and an object of preposition noun. The preposition types and object of preposition noun types are defined by a fixed set of prepositional phrase types. The user defined statements represent the user's relational database, and form the basis for responding to various user queries. Statements are defined through a number of steps, during which the statement types are used to control the user's selections as to subject noun, verb, and object noun. Fixed sets of noun types, verbs, and preposition types effectively group the nouns and statements that are present in the database into categories, and enhance the convenience of the system by explicitly categorizing the items in the database (the nouns) and clearly representing facts about those items (the statements) in a way that allows for quick and easy database creation and querying, from both the human and computer perspectives.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for organizing data into a database, comprising: 
 determining a subject noun type, wherein said subject noun type is one of a predetermined set of noun types;    determining a subject noun associated with said subject noun type;    determining, responsive to said subject noun type, a subset of a predetermined set of verbs, wherein for each verb in said subset there exists one statement type in a predetermined set of statement types including said subject noun type;    determining a selected one of said verbs in said subset of said predetermined set of verbs;    determining, responsive to said subject noun type and said selected verb, a first subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said first subset of said predetermined set of noun types there exists one statement type in a predetermined set of statement types including said subject noun type, said selected verb, and said noun type in said first subset of said predetermined set of noun types;    determining an object noun type, wherein said object noun type is a selected one of said first subset of said predetermined set of noun types;    determining an object noun associated with said object noun type;    forming a statement including said subject noun, said selected verb, and said object noun; and    storing said statement as one of a plurality of statements representing said database.    
     
     
         2 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 determining a selected preposition type from a predetermined set of preposition types;    determining, responsive to said selected preposition type, a second subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said second subset of said predetermined set of noun types there exists one prepositional phrase type in a predetermined set of prepositional phrase types including said selected preposition type and said noun type in said second subset of said predetermined set of noun types;    determining an object of preposition noun type, wherein said object of preposition noun type is one of said second subset of said predetermined set of noun types;    determining an object of preposition noun, wherein said object of preposition noun is associated with said object of preposition noun type; and    wherein said statement further includes a prepositional phrase including said selected preposition type and said object of preposition noun.    
     
     
         3 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying said predetermined set of noun types in a user interface and detecting a user selection of said subject noun type through said user interface.  
     
     
         4 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said determining said subject noun comprises detecting a user indication of a previously defined noun of said subject noun type.  
     
     
         5 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said determining said subject noun comprises detecting a newly entered noun of said subject noun type.  
     
     
         6 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said subject noun type determines a display of said subset of said predetermined set of verbs.  
     
     
         7 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said determining said selected one of said subset of said predetermined set of verbs comprises displaying said subset of said predetermined set of verbs through a user interface and detecting a user selection of said selected one of said subset of said predetermined set of verbs.  
     
     
         8 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said determining said object noun type comprises displaying said subset of said predetermined set of noun types through a user interface and detecting a user selection of said object noun type from said subset of said predetermined set of noun types.  
     
     
         9 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said determining said object noun comprises detecting a user indication of a previously defined noun of said object noun type.  
     
     
         10 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , wherein said determining said object noun comprises detecting a newly entered noun of said object noun type.  
     
     
         11 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 2 , wherein said determining said selected preposition type comprises displaying said predetermined set of preposition types through a user interface and detecting a user selection of one of said predetermined set of preposition types through said user interface.  
     
     
         12 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 2 , wherein said determining said object of preposition noun type comprises displaying said second subset of said predetermined set of noun types through a user interface and detecting a user selection of said object of preposition noun type.  
     
     
         13 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 2 , wherein said determining said object of preposition noun comprises detecting a user indication of a previously defined noun of said object of preposition noun type.  
     
     
         14 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 2 , wherein said determining said object of preposition noun comprises detecting a newly entered noun of said object of preposition noun type.  
     
     
         15 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 1 , further comprising user indication of a part of a statement to display information from said database related to said part of said database.  
     
     
         16 . The method for organizing data into a database of  claim 2 , wherein existing data is exported into a format indicating said subject noun type, subject noun, said verb, said object noun type, object noun, and said prepositional phrase.  
     
     
         17 . A system for organizing data into a database, wherein said system, includes program code stored in a computer program storage device, said program code comprising: 
 program code for determining a subject noun type, wherein said subject noun type is one of a predetermined set of noun types;    program code for determining a subject noun associated with said subject noun type;    program code for determining, responsive to said subject noun type, a subset of a predetermined set of verbs;    program code for determining a selected one of said verbs in said subset of said predetermined set of verbs;    program code for determining, responsive to said subject noun type and said selected verb, a first subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said first subset of said predetermined noun types there exists one statement type in a predetermined set of statement types including said first subject noun type, said selected verb, and said noun type in said first subset of said predetermined noun types;    program code for determining an object noun type, wherein said object noun type is a selected one of said first subset of said predetermined noun types;    program code for determining an object noun associated with said object noun type;    program code for determining a selected preposition type from a predetermined set of preposition types;    program code for determining, responsive to said selected preposition type, a second subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said second subset of said predetermined noun types there exists one prepositional phrase type in a predetermined set of prepositional phrase types including said selected preposition type and said noun type in said second subset of said predetermined noun types;    program code for determining an object of preposition noun type, wherein said object of preposition noun type is one of said second subset of said predetermined set of noun types;    program code for determining an object of preposition noun, wherein said object of preposition noun is of said object of preposition noun type;    program code for forming a statement including said subject noun, said verb, said object noun, said preposition type and said object of preposition noun; and    program code for storing said statement as one of a plurality of statements representing said database.    
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising: 
 program code for importing data consisting of said subject noun types, said subject nouns, said verbs, said object noun types, said object nouns, said preposition types, said object of preposition noun types, and said object of preposition nouns.    
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein said program storage device comprises a program memory, and wherein said system further comprises at least one processor coupled to said program memory.  
     
     
         20 . A computer program product, including a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, said computer program for organizing data into a database, said computer program comprising: 
 program code for determining a subject noun type, wherein said subject noun type is one of a predetermined set of noun types;    program code for determining a subject noun associated with said subject noun type;    program code for determining, responsive to said subject noun type, a subset of a predetermined set of verbs,    program code for determining a selected one of said verbs in said subset of said predetermined set of verbs;    program code for determining, responsive to said subject noun type and said selected verb, a first subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said first subset of said predetermined noun types there exists one statement type in a predetermined set of statement types including said first subject noun type, said selected verb, and said noun type in said first subset of said predetermined noun types;    program code for determining an object noun type, wherein said object noun type is a selected one of said first subset of said predetermined noun types;    program code for determining an object noun associated with said object noun type;    program code for determining a selected preposition type from a predetermined set of preposition types; program code for determining, responsive to said selected preposition type, a second subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said second subset of said predetermined noun types there exists one prepositional phrase type in a predetermined set of prepositional phrase types including said selected preposition type and said noun type in said second subset of said predetermined noun types;    program code for determining an object of preposition noun type, wherein said object of preposition noun type is one of said second subset of said predetermined set of noun types;    program code for determining an object of preposition noun, wherein said object of preposition noun is of said object of preposition noun type;    program code for forming a statement including said subject noun, said verb, said object noun, said preposition type and said object of preposition noun; and    program code for storing said statement as one of a plurality of statements representing said database.    
     
     
         21 . A system for organizing data into a database, comprising: 
 means for determining a subject noun type, wherein said subject noun type is one of a predetermined set of noun types;    means for determining a subject noun associated with said subject noun type;    means for determining, responsive to said subject noun type, a subset of a predetermined set of verbs,    means for determining a selected one of said verbs in said subset of said predetermined set of verbs;    means for determining, responsive to said subject noun type and said selected verb, a first subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said first subset of said predetermined noun types there exists one statement type in a predetermined set of statement types including said first subject noun type, said selected verb, and said noun type in said first subset of said predetermined noun types;    means for determining an object noun type, wherein said object noun type is a selected one of said first subset of said predetermined noun types;    means for determining an object noun associated with said object noun type;    means for determining a selected preposition type from a predetermined set of preposition types;    means for determining, responsive to said selected preposition type, a second subset of said predetermined set of noun types, wherein for each noun type in said second subset of said predetermined noun types there exists one prepositional phrase type in a predetermined set of prepositional phrase types including said selected preposition type and said noun type in said second subset of said predetermined noun types;    means for determining an object of preposition noun type, wherein said object of preposition noun type is one of said second subset of said predetermined set of nouns;    means for determining an object of preposition noun, wherein said object of preposition noun is of said object of preposition noun type;    means for forming a statement including said subject noun, said verb, said object noun, said preposition type and said object of preposition noun; and    means for storing said statement as one of a plurality of statements representing said database.